Family Reunion Ideas – How to Find the Ideas That Will Make Your Family Reunion a Success
Family Reunion
If you are looking for family reunion ideas, there are literally thousands of great ideas out there. The internet, your local library or bookstore, and even your relatives can provide a treasure trove of ideas. In fact, finding great ideas is relatively easy. The more difficult task is determining which ideas are right for your reunion.
Without a clear vision for what you want to accomplish, planning your reunion can become overwhelming. When evaluating ideas, you will need to decide which ones to use, which ones are wrong for your reunion, and which ones will need to wait for future reunions. Unfortunately, there are limits to how much time, money, and resources are available for your reunion, and trying to do too much can cause so much stress that no one enjoys the experience.
The key is to establish the scope of your reunion before you begin your planning. Once you (as well as the others who are helping to plan the reunion) have identified clear parameters, you will have a clear guide for your decision making process.
When determining the scope of your reunion, make sure to answer the following questions before you begin your planning:
What is the purpose of your reunion? Are you celebrating a family event? Trying to maintain or reestablish family relationships? Attempting to meet family members for the first time? Hoping to learn more about your family history and genealogy? Or is this reunion a part of your regular, recurring reunions?
What is the budget for your reunion? How will expenses be dispensed or reimbursed?
How much time will you have to plan your family reunion? How long will the reunion itself be?
Who is willing to help you plan your reunion? What other resources are available to you?
Who will be invited to attend? Will it include just immediate family members? Will your reunion be centered on a certain branch of the family tree? What will be the age ranges of attendees?
What travel will be involved for attendees? Will all of the attendees be local or will some be traveling longer distances? Where will your reunion be held? If you already identified a location, what opportunities or constraints will this place on the games or activities for your reunion?
Organizing a Successful Family Reunion
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a family reunion? A family reunion doesn’t have to be something that everyone dreads!
Set a Date for Your Family Reunion – EARLY!
Many people drag their feet when it comes to setting the date for their family reunion. The best plan for scheduling your family reunion is to have it the same time every year. If your family knows your reunion is always held the third week in June they will plan on it. This type of scheduling makes planning summer easier for families plus you will have a bigger turnout at your reunion!
Delegate, Delegate!
If you want your family reunion to be a great success and you want to enjoy it with everyone else, delegate planning tasks to other family members. Assign each family group a major job like planning games, organizing a program, etc. Have one family group select a charity or person who could benefit from your help. This way that family group is in charge of one major part of the family reunion.
Family Reunion Food!
Some people choose to have each family bring their own picnic lunch if they are hosting a family reunion that is just one afternoon. If you are camping, one of the best ways to cook is using Dutch ovens. You could also assign each family group cooking days, or to really mix it up draw names out of a hat and assign people to cook meals with relatives they may have not seen for a while. With so many family members living hundreds and even thousands of miles apart, a family reunion is a great way to reconnect. With a little planning and delegation, your next reunion will be one to remember!
